


ghosts don't always haunt houses

by blueraeanddvd



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Multi Chapter, No Beta, Post-Endgame, Snarky Tony Stark, Tony is a ghost, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 16:54:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19044520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueraeanddvd/pseuds/blueraeanddvd
Summary: It's hard to move on when your boyfriend's ghost won't leave you alone.Tony is haunting Stephen, and Stephen is desperately trying to find a way to get him to go the hell away.





	ghosts don't always haunt houses

It’s hard to move on when your boyfriend’s ghost won’t leave you alone.

“Y’know, Stephen, I wish you’d take me somewhere more…  _ romantic _ . A library isn’t really my ideal date.” Tony drawled, floating in the air next to Stephen’s head. He was laying back, head upside down like he was lying off of a couch. Stephen wasn’t exactly sure how Tony positioned himself these ways, but then again, he’s never been a ghost. Not a real ghost, at least.

“We’re not on a date, and this certainly isn’t a  _ library _ . This is a vault that protects the ancient arcane tomes only available to the Sorcerer Supreme.” Stephen grumbled, flipping through one of the books.

“I don’t know, man, it seems like it’s just a glorified library. And, anyways, if this isn’t a date, then why are we here?” Tony spun midair, then landed on his feet behind Stephen, resting his head on his shoulder and peeking into the book. His presence felt like a cool breeze, just a spot of cold in an otherwise warm room. The subtleness didn’t suit Tony, Stephen thought. Tony was always seemed larger than life, the light in every dark room he entered, and his now latent state seemed out of place. 

“We’re here to figure out how to get rid of you. Having you floating around me all the time is a nuisance.” Stephen replied, slamming the book shut and placing it back on the shelf, moving to the next. It wasn’t that he didn’t like having Tony around; that wasn’t the case at all. He was  _ ecstatic _ when he saw Tony again; the morning after his funeral he was greeted with his smug face, a ‘ _ did ya’ miss me?’  _ falling from his lips. 

He loved Tony being with him, loved that he still go to see him, but having him there was wrong. He was supposed to pass on, and he didn’t, so it’s Stephen’s job as the Sorcerer Supreme to fix whatever went wrong with Tony’s death.

“Ouch, Strange. Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to disrespect the dead?” Tony quipped. He swished his hand towards the page, causing a small gust of wind to flip it. 

“That’s the thing, you’re not  _ dead _ . You’re stuck in this- this  _ middle ground _ , which means we either have to find a way to get you to pass on, or somehow…” Stephen paused, the words lumped in the back of his throat. It was a pipe dream, a widow’s morbid fantasy, Stephen knew it was, and yet he couldn’t help but hope for it.

“Or somehow bring me back. Right?” Tony finished for him, his tone dry. Stephen tried to look in his eyes for any sign of hope, of want, but his eyes were locked on the book, scanning a section on ghosts. 

Stephen let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, “Yes,” he said, “that’s correct, I suppose, but unlikely.” 

A silence stretched between them as he flipped absently through the pages, searching for anything close to Tony’s situation. A ghost was the closest thing they had, maybe an angel, but both of those things were superstitions, nothing upheld by facts or the laws of magic.

“It’s kind of funny,” Tony said, breaking the silence. His spectral form moved around Stephen, leaning against a bookcase. He could feel the air as he passed, chillier than it had been a moment before, “i’ve been messing up almost everything for my whole life, and now that my life is over, I can’t even die right.” A chuckle sounded from his lips, no humor in it. His eyes stayed pinned on the ground.

“Tony, that’s-”

“Morbid, right? We make a great match, Strange, we really do. Always finishing each other’s sentences.” Tony stroked his chin in mock contemplation, “Or, well, we  _ did _ make a great match. Y’know, before I died.” 

Stephen slammed the book in earnest this time, the sound rattling through the room. Dust puffed up in the air, only to be blown away by Tony’s spectral wind.

“Why are you acting like such a  _ child _ ? I’m doing everything I can to fix this, and you’re sitting there doing nothing but complaining!” Stephen snarled at him, his hand clutched tightly on the sides of the tome. Tony pushed himself off of the bookcase, coming close enough to Stephen to touch his nose. The wind around him felt like ice now, biting at his skin.

“Stephen, I  _ died _ . I’m allowed to be upset, I’m  _ allowed _ to be angry about it.” 

“I understand, but that doesn’t mean you should be angry at  _ me _ . I’m doing the best that I can. Believe me, I’m just as upset as you are.” Stephen replied coolly, trying to keep his temper in check.

“I don’t think you are. I was okay with my death, I had seen it coming and I had accepted it, and now I’m here and there’s a chance I could go back, and I’m not sure if I want to.” Tony replied, and Stephen’s heart sank. He swallowed thickly, trying to think of any response to give the man. Tony sighed and stepped back, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wondered idly if ghosts can even  _ get _ headaches.

“I- I didn’t mean that; you know I didn’t mean that. I’m just tired, Stephen.” Tony mumbled, eyes down at his feet. 

“Tired of living, apparently,” Stephen replies. He hears the bitterness in his tone and regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth. Tony tenses, but finally looks him in the eye.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. I’m not tired of living, I’m tired of what comes with it; all the fighting and the struggle. I wanna rest.” Tony rubbed a hand over his face. He looked tired, really, as tired as a ghost  _ could _ look.

“Me too,” Stephen sighed, but continued, “but we have an obligation to protect people. It’s our job to fight.”

“And I pretty much retired. Can’t do much good like this,” Tony joked. Stephen smiled lightly at him. The air in the room warmed, a sign that Tony was calming down. He was glad; he hated fighting with Tony like this. Sure, they argued and bickered, but it was all shallow. This conversation had meaning, and Stephen didn’t like it.

“That’s why we’re trying to figure this out. Let’s go to the next section,” 

 

They continued searching for the rest of the day, flicking through pages upon pages of old arcane secrets. Stephen thought about telling Tony not to read, but he was dead; how much harm could it do? A while in, Tony had figured out that if he swishes his fingers lightly enough, he can turn the pages easily, so he started getting his own books to read through, hoping to speed up the process. After hours of searching, long after the sun had set, Tony exclaimed,

“Hey, Strange, I think I might’ve found something!”

Stephen looked up from the yellowed pages he was reading and towards Tony. He swiped his hand, causing a gust of air to turn the book towards the other man. The page was titled ‘The Soul Stone’.

“It says that the soul stone can store someone’s soul, hence the name.”

“Yes, but what does that mean for you? Your soul is here, and the stones are gone now.” Stephen questioned, watching as Tony strolled over next to him. He pointed to a section on the page.

“Look here. ‘When the soul stone is in danger of destruction, the stone will project its energy into the world to find a new host for its power. Without the energy of the stones, the universe risks the loss of balance’. This means…” Tony drummed his fingers on the table, but it didn’t seem to have the right effect. It just made a weird bumping noise, not at all the drum roll he was hoping for.

“It means that you either have the power of the soul stone or that you  _ are _ the soul stone’s power; I’m a little confused on that front.” 

“Well, I’m hoping that I  _ have _ the power, because I really like existing.” A light chuckle escaped from the man’s lips, but other than that, they were silent. Stephen ran through the options he thought they had, but came up with nothing. He took a shaky breath.

“What now?”

**Author's Note:**

> idk if i'm gonna finish writing this. i'm pretty unmotivated rn, but since its summer, if this gets good feedback ill prbably continue it for at least another chapter. lmk what you think, and comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.


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